Jewish students call out antisemitism amid SJP demands for 'No more Hillel'

During a rally hosted by UNC Students for Justice in Palestine on Oct. 9, one speaker called for an end to study abroad programs in Israel, academic research citing Israeli universities and University divestment from Israel and Israeli-supporting companies.

“No more Hillel,” the student then said.

Their words were met with cheers from the crowd.

Hillel is an international organization that operates through local and university chapters. According to their website, North Carolina Hillel aims to empower and inspire students to "pursue their own Jewish journeys by creating strong communities and transformative experiences.” 

The umbrella organization's vision statement says that Hillel envisions a world where all students are "inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel." 

In a statement from UNC SJP to The Daily Tar Heel, the group wrote that Hillel is “a fundamentally Zionist network masquerading as a Jewish campus organization.”

Though Zionism is defined differently by many people, groups and organizations, the term relates to the right and movement for a Jewish state. 

SJP leaders wrote that the abolition of Hillel has always been integral to their demands, though it was explicitly stated during the Oct. 9 event.  

SJP also provided tax documents for the Maccabee Task Force, an organization that states on its website that the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement is "an Antisemitic movement that crosses the line from legitimate criticism of Israel into the dangerous demonization of Israel and its supporters." The task force has financial ties to N.C. Hillel. In 2022, they gave $121,502 to the organization.

“Zionism is a racist supremacist ideology advocating for the creation and sustenance of an ethno-state through the expulsion and annihilation of native people,” the SJP statement reads. “Therefore, any group that advocates for a supremacist ideology — be it the KKK, the Proud Boys, Hillel, or Heels for Israel — should not be welcome on campus.” 

The Heels for Israel Board wrote in a statement to The DTH that they believe SJP's comments are "incredibly damaging to productive dialogue."

"It is especially crucial to distinguish between thoughtful conversations about conflicts and the outright rejection of Jewish spaces and institutions on campus, especially Hillel, which is incredibly vital as a safe haven for Jewish students," they wrote. "Calls such as 'No more Hillel' and the likening of Heels for Israel and Hillel to the KKK conflates students on campus and creates an environment where Jewish students are fearful of being targeted for events in the Middle East."

UNC’s free speech policy aligns itself with the First Amendment and Section 14 of the North Carolina State Constitution. The policy allows the University to impose viewpoint and content-neutral restrictions if they include time, place and manner parameters on the justification of significant institutional interest. 

In a December 2023 memo, the American Civil Liberties Union said that “where racist, misogynist, homophobic, and transphobic speech is concerned, the ACLU believes that more speech — not less — is the answer most consistent with our constitutional values.”

“To be clear, the First Amendment does not protect behavior on campus that crosses the line into targeted harassment or threats, or that creates a pervasively hostile environment for vulnerable students,” the memo continues. “But merely offensive or bigoted speech does not rise to that level, and determining when conduct crosses that line is a legal question that requires examination on a case-by-case basis.” 

Hannah Spinrad, executive director of N.C. Hillel, said in an email statement to The DTH that comparing Hillel to organizations like the KKK is hateful and antisemitic. She also said that attacking Hillel for helping students build relationships with Israel creates a hostile environment for Jewish students on campus. 

A member of SJP, who requested anonymity for their safety, said that they think the allegations of antisemitism are a "red herring" to distract from Israeli-inflicted violence in Gaza. 

They said that if membership of Hillel is dependent on support for Israel, even if members are Jewish, then it is not a “holistically inclusive religious affinity group.”

However, Spinrad said that Hillel welcomes all students regardless of their opinions on Israel. 

“Rather than exclude anyone, our goal is to engage all kinds of students in discussion and dialogue,” she said. 

UNC junior Michael Wagner, the treasurer and vice president of UNC Hillel, said he thinks people don’t understand Hillel’s purpose. Wagner said he remembers recognizing and talking with Hillel members in keffiyehs at the pro-Palestinian encampment last spring. 

“I really think that any idea that we put down Jewish pro-Palestinian students is ridiculous and I think our programming is very inclusive towards them,” he said.

Wagner said that comparing Hillel to groups like the KKK — “literally a Nazi organization,” he said — was insulting and ridiculous. He said the statement was made from a place clouded by emotion rather than reason.

“If these people just came and talked with us, instead of just demonizing us without ever speaking to us, I think it would really benefit them a lot,” he said.

Wagner said that Hillel has reached out to SJP in the past, but their attempts at conversation were ignored.

While he said he believes the Israeli government has been "very damaging," Wagner also said UNC Hillel and Heels for Israel are two college organizations with no involvement in the conflict.

“We're not directly associated with Heels for Israel, but I think we definitely have the same mission of just promoting, just learning more about Israel,” he said.

Heels for Israel said in their statement that this is not "a matter of differing political opinions; this is about ensuring that Jewish students are not vilified for their identity and that our spaces remain safe havens free from fear and intimidation."

"For many Jews, Zionism is a crucial part of their identity. Openly calling for the death of Zionism while propagating anti-Zionist and antisemitic tropes is not a protest. It is policing a crucial part of many students’ identities and declaring that they must erase their identity to be accepted at UNC," they wrote.

Wagner, who said that to him anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism, said that people who aren’t Jewish should not be defining antisemitism. 

“We're the ones who get to say what hurts us or what doesn't hurt us,” Wagner said. “You can't.”

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